Flextreme Hits the Floor

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I was there...

"....E-Flex will provide our customers around the globe with a single elegant solution to tomorrow's energy issues."- Bob Lutz, Vice Chairman Product Development GM, introducing the Opel Flextreme

Months of hard work pay off for the members of the Opel design team (including Mark Adams, Anthony Lo, Boris Jacob, Richard Shaw and Frank Weber) during the reveal of the Opel Flextreme at the 2007 International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt, Germany.

In September 2007, General Motors presented the third variant of its electric vehicle architecture E-Flex, the Opel Flextreme at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt, Germany. Its energy source is a battery that powers the electric motor. Another energy source on board – such as a hydrogen fuel-cell or combustion engine – provides more power to increase operating range. In the case of the Flextreme, this is a 1.3-liter CDTI diesel engine. Electric propulsion and a combustion engine are used in a manner fundamentally different from that of conventional hybrid propulsion vehicles. Regardless of the Flextreme’s operating mode, it is always electrically powered. The diesel engine is onboard solely to power the generator and charge the battery, always running in optimum operating range.

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Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany, 2007
Video Courtesy of General Motors Corporation

If there's one thing that distinguishes the Frankfurt Motor Show from the other international auto shows, it's the sheer size of its displays. Spread out over roughly 10 halls, walking the show floor means putting in at least a few good miles. It takes 10 minutes just to get from one hall to another, and once you're in them they have so many cars on display you can spend hours in each one.

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